On Iran
‘Reformists’ exposed on first anniversary
As imperialist sanctions are stepped up, leaders of Iran’s ‘opposition’ are in headlong retreat. Yassamine Mather reports on the anniversary of the 2009 rigged elections
Demonstrations were held across Iran on the June 12 anniversary of last year’s rigged presidential elections – despite a heavy security presence and the cowardly back-stabbing of the so-called ‘reformist opposition’.
Meanwhile, the much heralded United Nations resolution on further sanctions against Iran – expanding the arms embargo and barring the country from sensitive activities such as uranium mining – was voted through on June 9. The UN measures present a diluted version of what the US administration had proposed, but they still allow high-seas inspections of vessels believed to be ferrying banned items to Iran, while 40 categories have been added to the list of people and groups subject to travel restrictions and financial sanctions. The European Union has promised to impose its own extra measures, targeting the energy, trade and transport sectors.
Sleepless in Oaxaca: Stirrings of the People’s Giant»
Other civilizations give way to barbarian hordes. Some societies
transform themselves through revolutionary change .What is Oaxaca’s
future? It could be continued stagnation under a kind of “Dark Age.”
Or the “sleeping giant” of the people could once again awake, this time
bringing truly revolutionary transformation. One thing is certain: only
the last offers hope for genuine progress for the people
Matus’ murder follows the slaying last weekend of eight young men who were out rabbit hunting in the Papaloapan basin, an area on Oaxaca’s border with the neighboring state of Veracruz.
In April, two activists – one of them a Finnish citizen – were killed while traveling with a humanitarian caravan to a strife-torn Indian community in Oaxaca
The action was the latest in a series of demonstrations by local residents, miners and peasants seeking the construction of a new cement factory, a larger airport and other actions from the government.
Women in resistance from the autonomous municipality of San Juan Copala, Oaxaca, announced that, faced with the constant danger of being beaten, murdered, or sexually abused, they are preparing the “Third Peace Caravan,” which will depart from Huajuapan de León and end in Mexico City.
Almost simultaneously with the British Airways workers’ strike on 24th May 10, around 25,000 workers of Air-India throughout the country went on unofficial strike on 25th May 2010. The strike continued on 26th, but was called off after the Delhi High Court declared it illegal and an expression of irresponsibility of the workers. The strike was led by the two major unions, the ACEU and the AIAEA, the latter being the union of the engineers.
Leaders of government employees in the city of Oaxaca threaten a strike to paralyze the city if 22 million pesos missing from their pension fund are not returned.
Marcelino Coache Verano, a leader in the employees’ union, announced the union would call on APPO (Assembly Popular People of Oaxaca) to seize all city offices if necessary.
Oaxaca: Attempts to repress peasant uprisings have backfired»
GUNFIRE rings out almost every day around the village of San Juan Copala, as marksmen in the woods take potshots into the town. Eight residents are recovering from injuries, including an eight-year-old girl who was hit twice as she tried to leave the village. The gunmen have cut electricity and blocked access roads, allowing only a single party of women out once a week on an eight-hour hike to fetch food. The siege is entering its ninth month.
Residents of Mitla, Oaxaca Protest Actions of Anthropology Institute»
Residents of Mitla, Oaxaca are troubled by the actions of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) for promoting UNESCO’s declaration of the prehistoric caves of Yagul and Mitla as “cultural patrimony” without discussing the proclamation with the community.
The President of Mitla, Jaciel Garcia Ruiz, said the announcement promotes questions and doubts because the proclamation could affect the area negatively.
Chinese workers: The new prey for ‘independent’ unionism»
The Chinese proletariat is showing signs of militancy and combativity on its own class terrain, against the Communist Party of China and the state unions. Unfortunately, the Western trade unionists and leftist activists are taking notice. Similar to the Polish workers struggles’ of 1980-1981, the Chinese workers erupted into self-organized strikes and protests against the company, outside of and against the official All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU).
San Juan Copala Again Under Fire»
Residents of San Juan Copala once again huddle together under fire, pleading
for urgent support from national and state governments, as well as the
ambassadors of Finland, Germany, and Belgium.
Shootings have increased, and another indigenous leader has been threatened
with death. **
